Unopened Windows
by WastefulReverie
Summary: In hindsight, flying over to his grandparents' house in ghost form was a bad idea. After all, they didn't know his dad's secret… but surely they wouldn't hurt him, right? James Phantom was a ghost but under it all he was still their grandson… he hoped.
1. Part One

**Written for danphanwritingprompts on Tumblr! **

**Title is from Set It Off's song, Unopened Windows.**

* * *

James found Lilith in her bedroom, floating two feet above the floor and intangibly kicking her bed. He was going to chew her out for not doing the dishes that Mom just made _him_ do, but clearly, she was pissed about something. And when Lilith was angry… things were not well. Sure, she was only eleven-years-old — but she could throw a _hell _of a tantrum. When your family had ghost powers, everything was more complicated.

"Uh, what's your deal?" he asked, cautiously.

Lilith's feet hit the floor and she whipped around, eyeing her brother. "None of your business!" she hissed.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Every time you've gotten angry this month you've almost shot me, so I think it _is_ my business."'

"That's because you always butt in where you don't belong!" she pushed him back. "Now _go_ before I do shoot you."

"Wow, can't wait to tell Mom that one," James deadpanned. "Really, just tell me why you're kicking your bed like a moron, _moron_."

Lilith sighed, slumping onto her bed. She grabbed a fistful of her purple bedspread and let it go. "I left my Switch at Grandma and Grandpa's house, but I can't tell Mom and Dad because I'm not supposed to have it. Dad hid it last week, but after a few hours, I found it in the kitchen wall. Now I'm afraid Grandma and Grandpa will find it and tell Dad, then it'll be game over. _Literally_."

"Well, that's a big screw-up," he commented.

She smacked him on the arm. "You_think_?"

Lilith was almost obsessed with her Nintendo Switch — she snuck it in her backpack whenever she could. She felt like she had to prove to people that she was a good gamer, that she was invested in video games. James couldn't complain — she had her games, he had a phone. But if Mom and Dad took her Switch away… James couldn't imagine having to push her off his back all the time again. That, and she _did_ seem pretty upset….

"Hey," he said, "I'll tell you what. I'll fly over to FentonWorks and get your Switch for you."

Lilith gawked, "_Really_?"

"Yeah!" he nodded. "But… on one condition. You'll let me play with it whenever I want for the next month. It won't be often, but maybe a few hours here and there, got it?"

Lilith considered it. She tilted her head to the side, gauging if he was telling the truth. After a moment, she made up her mind. "Alright. Promise not to get caught?" She held out her pinky, extended toward James.

James nodded. "Promise," he locked his pinky with hers. This was going to be a piece of _cake_. Grandma and Grandpa Fenton spent most of their time after dinner in their laboratory, no way he'd get caught!

* * *

Finding Lilith's Switch wasn't that hard. She'd left it on the kitchen counter, pushed behind the toaster. Thankfully, their grandparents hadn't noticed it yet so it was untouched. He floated across the kitchen, maintained invisibility, and grabbed the device. James weighed it in his hands, praising himself for such a smooth retrieval.

And then, the kitchen light switched on. Maddie ascended from the lab and entered the kitchen, removing her hood for good measure. James was still invisible, so that wasn't a problem. But he was floating in the center of the kitchen, holding a _not_ invisible gaming device. Maddie addressed the oddity immediately, realizing that there must be some sort of paranormal entity present. Because Nintendo Switches, as innovative as they were, did not _float_.

"What's there?" she drew a gun from her belt, pointing it toward James. _Crap_. He's been spotted… sort of.

He tried extending his energy to the device, to turn it invisible with him. But unfortunately, Dad hadn't taught him how to do that yet. He couldn't make other objects invisible, just himself. So he could drop Lilith's _very_ expensive Nintendo Switch or he could run, lugging the device with him.

Before he could make a choice, Maddie pulled her hood back on and activated her ghost-detection goggles. Now she could see him anyway — _double crap!_

"_Ghost_," Maddie hissed. "You're a new one."

Now that she could see him, he really didn't need to waste energy staying invisible. James popped into visibility and shrugged, "I guess?"

She'd seen his ghost form and being seen was against Dad's rules. The rules were for his protection and now he'd placed himself in danger. Now his grandparents, ghost hunters, knew that James Phantom existed. Not that they knew he was related to _the_ Phantom… but they could probably figure it out. His appearance and costume were similar to his dad's — a black jumpsuit with white accents, white hair, and glowing green eyes…. Not exactly subtle.

"What do you have?" Maddie aimed her gun. "Is that our equipment?"

James cocked his head to the side. She thought… the Switch was Fenton Tech?

"No…" he responded. "Why would I steal stuff to hurt ghosts? That's dumb since I'm a ghost."

"Not if you're taking it _from_ us," Maddie pointed out. She fired her gun, but James managed to dodge in the nick of time. He'd practiced with his parents in the lab some, fought a ghost once or twice, but he'd never had to really dodge anything before. His heart started pounding. This was _real_, his grandma was attacking him!

"Woah!" he exclaimed. "Y — you don't have to shoot!"

"You're _stealing_ from us," she growled. "Nasty ghost."

_Nasty ghost_. Dad always warned him not to get caught by ghost hunters. He was used to being scared of ghost hunters, he was born a ghost. _Getting caught hurts_, Dad recalled. _Avoid confrontation at all costs._

James had always assumed that Dad meant it physically hurt. Being locked up, strapped down, cut open… he's been prepared for that scenario, for _years_. But Dad never mentioned that their words would hurt too. Especially… especially Grandma, who'd coddled him just a few hours ago. But in her eyes he was just a _nasty ghost_.

"I'm — I'm really not!" he stammered, dodging another blast. "Not stealing!" (Or a _nasty ghost. _You _love_ me.)

"Oh _sure_," Maddie fired. James dodged, but by the time he recovered Maddie had decided to change tactics. She lowered her gun and toyed with a new Fenton Thermos prototype. James recognized it from a few weeks ago when Grandpa let Lilith chose the color scheme…. They weren't allowed near the actual weapons, but Grandpa liked showing them their designs.

And if there was one thing James knew about his grandparents' tech… it was absolutely foolproof. Once Grandma hit that button he'd be pulled into the device and condensed into a vaporous state. Dad claimed that being inside the Fenton Thermos didn't hurt, but James couldn't fathom being trapped inside something so _small_. He was scared, definitely scared. He _couldn't _be captured.

But could he run? Grandma had him cornered — he couldn't even phase into the floor, there wasn't enough time. If he even twitched, she'd press the button and suck him into the thermos, game over.

"You know what this is, don't you, ghost?" she smirked, reading his expression. James nodded, numbly. Maybe if he played nicely, she'd let him go— "I've got you now."

And she pressed the button. James's world tilted and whirred, and then he was light. He was pressured, confined — and yet, he was nothing. There was no vision, sound, flavor, sensation… he was nothing. He was captured.

* * *

Inside the thermos, time felt like a thread. It was thin yet durable — it felt like a second and eternity were only a moment apart, and he occupied that moment. He couldn't feel how long it had been — a minute, a day? — but he wanted _out_. He didn't like this lack of sensation, this disorientation, this loss of time…. Was this what it's like to be a full ghost, to be dead? He hoped not, that would suck.

Suddenly, the thermos lurched. He was pushed upwards and his own bodyweight felt tenfold, like he was pressing down on himself. Gravity was a pain, that's for sure… so was light and sound. Everything was too bright, cold, and every time he moved his jaw his ears popped. After a few seconds, his vision focused and he examined his surroundings.

He was in his grandparents' lab, but not from a perspective he'd seen before. That said, he'd only been in the lab a handful of times — with _very_ strict supervision. But from what he could tell, James was in some sort of containment area…. It was like a glass box, twenty feet wide, fifteen feet tall… enough room for him to float, but not enough to fly with any velocity.

On the opposite side of the glass, his grandparents observed the containment area. It was such a mundane scene; Grandma and Grandpa lost in their work, pensive researchers. Though, this was wrong, so wrong. He didn't belong on this side of the glass, he wasn't a _specimen_ — he was their grandson. They were watching him like a bug under a magnifying glass, honing in. Hopefully, he could persuade them to let him go before they found out the truth….

_The truth._ What if they did learn the truth? What would that even mean? James's stomach dropped when he considered the implications.

Mom and Dad had rules. They had a _lot _of rules that made James's head spin trying to think of them all. _'__Don't ever say _I wish_'__, 'don't start food arguments with Mom', 'don't summon primordial ghosts in school'. _But their number one rule was ingrained.

Dad swore James and Lilith into secrecy, "Never be seen using powers, never be seen in your ghost form, and _never_ ever get caught. We're… special. People can't know about halfas, not your friends, not the government, not even Grandma and Grandpa. Promise me that, kids? You'll keep our secret — our _family _— safe?"

"Of course!" James chirped. "I'm too cool to let anyone know I've got powers! They'll never see me! Geddit, _see_ me?"

Dad ruffled James's hair, "You've got the _spirit_, sport."

They all laughed, even Mom (who pretended she hated Dad's puns). Back then, it had seemed so simple. _Don't get seen, don't get caught, don't get revealed._ Yet, James had already broken two of three of Dad's rules. His luck wasn't looking good….

His vision swam again. This wasn't going well, wouldn't go well. His hands were shaking, and this _stupid _costume didn't have pockets he could hide his hands in. How was that fair? _Lilith _got pockets, why didn't he! James slapped his hands against his leg and hoped that he didn't look like a maniac (like it mattered).

He was definitely terrified, but he couldn't let that get the best of him.

James swallowed the lump in his throat, biting back his fear. He couldn't let his grandparents suspect he had something to hide. To them, he was a ghost — a _normal_ ghost — and he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, he intended no malice. He had to convince them or else.

Maddie tilted her head and whispered something to Jack. James could tell that the containment area wasn't soundproof but her whisper was so far away that he couldn't hear her.

Jack narrowed his eyes. "He _does_," he declared. "But how does that work? He's had clones before but…"

"This one feels different than that female Phantom," Maddie agreed. Female Phantom? Did they mean Aunt Ellie? That wasn't good, if they were comparing him to Ellie then they'd already recognized his resemblance to Dad….

"A clone would be the same age as Phantom," Jack deduced. "This is something else, it has to be."

Maddie lowered her voice again. "The similarity is _uncanny,_" she muttered. She stepped forward and James flinched — her observation was _very _uncomfortable. "Same fringy white hair, piercing green eyes… young."

James wanted out, now.

His grandparents were inches away from the glass now. James met eye contact with Jack and felt his core spasm — James fell from where he was floating, slamming his knees against the floor. _Hard_. He cursed at himself, his stupid powers malfunctioned when he was nervous. Now he was scared _and_ his knees hurt.

Maddie crossed her arms. "Ghost," she addressed him. Her voice was cold, calculating. He was nothing but an object to them.

"Gran — uh, ghost hunter?" he responded.

"Why were you in our house?" Jack asked, placing his hand against the glass. "And that thing you were stealing… that was one of our grandkids' games. Why did you take it?"

Well… at least they still didn't think that the Switch was some of their tech. Grandma probably realized her mistake after she captured him but there wasn't anything James could do now. Well, except lie his ass off.

"I came through your portal," he conceived. James clenched his fists, hoping they'd buy his story. "You guys were looking away and I came through invisibly. I saw the Switch and thought it was cool, I wasn't going to steal it. It just looked cool, I swear!"

Jack and Maddie held themselves professionally. He couldn't get a read on them but from what he could tell they didn't think he was lying… yet.

"I'm sure you thought it was 'cool'," Maddie drew finger quotes. "You _were _going to steal it, but that's beside the matter. We have other questions for you. You're different than other ghosts but like others. You look like Phantom — even have some of his more… _human-like_ qualities. Why? Why are you similar?" she cut to the chase.

"I uh… don't know what you mean?" he tried.

Jack pounded his fist against the glass. Not enough force to break it, but enough to convey his point. "Yeah, you do."

James gulped. He couldn't think of a good lie, so… he supposed he'd have to settle for the truth. "Okay, fine. Uh, I'm sort of Phantom's son?"

Now, _this _admission disrupted their composure. Maddie's lips parted and Jack's eyebrows furrowed.

"Come again?" Maddie asked.

James didn't want to repeat himself, but he didn't have a choice. He couldn't exactly to be one of Dad's clone or something because that would just be more trouble. "I'm Phantom's son."

"Impossible," Jack shook his head. "Ghosts can't have children… can they?"

They were faced with difficult knowledge. Regular ghosts _couldn't_ have children, yet James was the spitting image of his Dad… but not exactly. He had Mom's nose, narrow face, sleek hair, and purple eyes — other than those key features, he looked exactly like Dad.

"Phantom _has_ always been different than other ghosts," Maddie put a hand to her cheek, "But how can something dead reproduce? It shouldn't have the parts necessary for that."

James did _not_ want to think about Dad's _parts_.

"Phantom's inconsistent, Mads," Jack pointed out. "Even if he shouldn't be able to reproduce, he does plenty of things ghosts shouldn't be able to do. He ages like a human, so maybe—"

James was anxious and impatient. If he let them keep talking, he'd lose opportunities to talk himself out of this. "Hey, that's a nice deduction and all but I kinda need to get going. I'm sorta breaking curfew and stuff — plus, thinking about how I was born is really nasty."

Maddie's face darkened. She spoke with a tone of authority, "Don't interrupt us, ghost." She leaned forward and pressed a button positioned outside the containment area.

There was a sudden popping noise and light arched across the glass walls. In the moments before it hit him, James was mesmerized by the iridescent blue light reflecting off the glass… and then the electricity poured into his body. Burning agony — his flesh was _tearing_. So much pain, his nerves were overloading. Dad said electrocution hurt but James had always dismissed his Dad's stories — electricity couldn't kill him, after all! But damn… _damn,_ everything was fire. What was even his body, besides a collection of tangled cells and ectoplasm? Was he even in this glass confinement or was this his mind, his soul? He was delirious….

"—light shock'll put him in place." Grandma. Grandma _no_. This wasn't 'light'—

The electricity had receded, but James could still feel it. It was under his skin, peeling — burning — itching! Now his core refused. His core was too weak, it couldn't maintain this form anymore. He had to change back, he had to transform or he'd _die_ from the shock. But he couldn't change in front of his grandparents, especially not now!

James protested, "No, no, no don't go! Stay, stay, _stay_—!" He was slipping. Phantom was slipping from him and he couldn't do anything to stop it.

His grandparents watched him stumble. James curled into the fetal position, resisting the urge to transform. Despite his efforts, the ring of light hung over his waist before sliding over him, fizzling into nothing. He was left in his blue pajama pants and Batman t-shirt, undeniably human.

He'd broken all the rules now.


	2. Part Two

His grandparents gawked at him in stupefied terror, frozen in their places. Jack bit his lip and blinked about ten times before he snapped out of his stupor — even then he had to look back and forth between James and Maddie. Maddie clutched Jack's hand, squeezing so tightly that James could see Jack's glove straining under the force of her grip. James was tempted to flee, to run behind his grandparents and sprint upstairs — yet he was paralyzed. He couldn't do _anything_.

Maddie's voice cracked when she spoke. "Ja—mes?"

He couldn't tell what they were thinking and he was scared. Would they leave him in this glass prison to rot? Abandon their own grandson because he was tainted, not wholly of this world? Would they try and strap him a table and inflict ghastly experiments, dissemble his insides to see what made him tick? Mom always assured that his grandparents would _never_ go that far… but Dad never denied it. After all these years, Dad was still afraid of his parents and there was definitely a reason.

There was no pretending what had occurred hadn't happened, but he could still lie. _To preserve (_his life_) their secret._

James coughed. His lungs felt raw from all the electricity, but he dismissed the lingering sensation. "Wow," he feigned confusion. "How'd I get here? There must've been a ghost overshadowing me, huh?" he tilted his head, upping his performance. "I think that uh, electricity knocked it out, though!" His grandparents didn't respond — their stares were empty and unresponsive. "I'm good now!" he declared.

Even as he said it he knew it was futile. Neither of them looked convinced, why would they? After all, that's not how overshadowing worked _at all_.

Jack turned to Maddie. "How do we know that's actually James?" he whispered. "The spook could be a shapeshifter!"

Maddie's lips thinned. She tapped the glass and locked eyes with James, "Tell me something only the real James would know."

Something only he would know? How could he prove that? Should he even try or just let his grandparents assume that he was a ghost pretending to be James? Scenarios swirled in his brain, muddling his clarity. He didn't know what to do, how to respond… and they were still _watching_ him. He felt trapped by indecision, suffocated. The walls were sinking and pulling at him and Grandma was still pressed up against the glass—

"—when I was seven, I stole some of your nail polish and tried painting my nails in the bathtub but it kept coming off and it was a really big mess and you cleaned me up and promised not to tell Dad because you thought it was cute and didn't want me to get in trouble!"

He'd never told anyone that — he doubted she had either.

Maddie's eyes widened. "What color was it?"

James frowned. "What?"

"The nail polish, what color was it?"

James thought for a minute. It'd been five years, but he was pretty sure that — "It was blue."

Maddie shook her head, "No, _no _way." He'd been correct but she was in denial. Who wouldn't be?

Jack touched Maddie's shoulder and pulled her away from the glass barrier. "Mads," he insisted softly, "that _has_ to be James. It's not overshadowing, but he's not a ghost — he's our grandson! If he were, we would've picked it up on our sensors; there's an explanation for this, I just don't know what yet."

"So… it is James?" she asked, running her fingers through her hair. Her expression morphed from questionable to decisive, "It is James."

She pushed past Jack and stopped in front of the containment area, but this time she found a lever. Once the lever was pulled, a section of the glass walls shifted and a door opened. They were letting him out? James stood, tentatively, and walked towards his grandma. Silently, she guided him outside the containment area and sat him on a stool next to their workstation. This felt… so weird.

Jack and Maddie stood still for a moment, assessing James's behavior. After a moment or so, Maddie spoke. "I know something _weird_ is happening here and I want the truth," she stressed. "The _full_ truth."

Well, that was the one thing he couldn't give her. James gripped the bottom of the stool and stared at his feet. "I can't tell you," he muttered.

Her response was razor-sharp. "_Why_?"

He gulped. This wasn't going to go over easy. "I just _can't_. I'm not allowed to."

"James, if there's something wrong with you we need to know," Jack interjected. He gestured to him and Maddie. "We're on your side."

James shook his head. "I really, really can't tell you — Mom and Dad'll kill me!"

Maddie raised her brow, "Your parents know? About whatever this is, with that… ghostly thing?"

Crap, he'd slipped up. Not good, not good, not good—

"No!" he protested. "And I'm not a ghost!" he added.

Jack paced across the lab, lost in thought. "But that… was you, right?" he turned back to James. "That wasn't anything overshadowing you, that other… form was all you?"

What was he supposed to say? He couldn't deny it, especially not now… he couldn't let them believe he had some sort of _parasite_. "I… I guess," he sputtered.

"You don't _know_?" Maddie pulled at the fabric of her HAZMAT suit. "Were you in control of yourself, or is there something in control?" she interrogated.

"No, no that was all me!" James accidentally banged his foot against the stool. Jack flinched but didn't comment on James's movement. "There's nothing controlling me, nothing in me! I'm fine! And I'm not a ghost… I'm just… okay, maybe I'm a little bit a ghost. But I've always been like that and I'm alive and I'm fine!"

He knew the moment he said it, that had been the wrong response.

"What do you mean you've always been like this?" Maddie accused.

James cringed, "I mean… I don't know?" He'd already said too much, Dad was going to kill him! Twice-kill him?

Jack inhaled sharply. "In… in your other form. That ghost form — you said that Phantom was your dad," he realized. His eyes widened and he turned to Maddie. "Oh my God…"

Maddie's jaw dropped, "Sam," she said. Jack shook his head, "No, _no_. Sam would never…" he trailed off.

Maddie crossed her arms, "She's always stood up for him, even when we advised not to." Her face flushed red and James could _see_ the fire in her eyes. "I can't believe after all these years she…."

Was… was James missing something? What were they talking about? Wait a minute. They still thought his Dad was Phantom… but hadn't connected the right dots. They thought his Mom had cheated on his Dad _with _Phantom? Oh crap, oh no. That's… _no_. That was so wrong — Mom wasn't a cheater. He wouldn't let his mistake taint his grandparents' perception of his Mom, he wouldn't let them think he was some _bastard_ child.

"That's — that's not it," he corrected. "Mom didn't _cheat_ on Dad, Phantom isn't my dad! I — I lied!"

"If Phantom isn't your dad, how come you looked so much like him then?" Jack questioned. "How do you have a ghost form?"

"I — I don't know!" James tried. He rocked on the stool and almost lost balance, but corrected himself. "I really… don't."

"Then—" Maddie was cut off by a clear ringtone. She cursed under her breath and pulled her cell phone from her pocket and examined the caller. Her eyes widened. "Danny."

"Put it on speaker, Mads," Jack encouraged.

Maddie nodded numbly and addressed James, "Not a word." She put her fingers to her lips then pointed at him. James paled and quietly obliged. Then, Maddie answered the call and swiftly placed it on speakerphone.

"—ey, Mom," Danny greeted. "I know we were just over there, but Lilith thinks she might have left something over there and can't sleep. Can you check for me so I can calm her down?"

Crap, Lilith must've slipped up and told Dad that she left her Switch at FentonWorks. He must've noticed how worried she was, probably because James hadn't returned yet. This entire thing was a _mess_.

"Oh, it's alright," Maddie dismissed. "I think I saw it earlier. Actually, uh…" Oh, man. She was about to rat him out, he could tell. James gestured slicing motions, begging her to let him off the hook but Maddie ignored him. "James is over here right now, I'm pretty sure he had it earlier."

The other line was silent for a moment. When Danny spoke, he seemed surprised. "He is?"

"Uh-huh," she confirmed.

"How did — how did he get there?" Danny stuttered.

Maddie met James's eyes. "I don't know," she replied. Without missing a beat, "Could you come pick him up?"

"Sure, yeah! Give me like ten minutes." There was a door slam. "I just gotta tell Sam—" without further preamble, he hung up. The line went dead and that was it; James was absolutely screwed.

"Are you going to tell Dad?" he asked, tapping against his leg. This was the worst series of events that could have happened tonight, for sure. "That I — about the ghost stuff?"

Maddie's scowl darkened. She slammed her hand on her workstation table, causing it to teeter. "Tell him?" she backed away. "What do you think! James, you're not telling us _anything_! This is serious, of course we're going to tell him!"

"She's right," Jack nodded. "We care about you and this is clearly something serious. We need to talk about this with your Dad."

"Oh," James blinked. He was going to be grounded for life — afterlife. "Alright," he muttered.

Maddie's expression softened. "James," she started, "I'm sorry that was harsh—"

"It's okay," he snapped. He was pretty sure that his eyes glowed green, but it didn't matter. Everything was coming to light anyway — it didn't matter what they saw anymore. "It's… all fine."

"Let's go upstairs," Jack suggested. He gave James a sympathetic look, but James disregarded it. He didn't need his grandpa's sympathy… this was his own fault.

James stood up from the stool and begrudgingly followed his grandparents upstairs.


	3. Part Three

Just as he'd promised, Danny arrived ten minutes later. Their house was only a few minutes away, so it was a reasonably short drive. Honestly, James was surprised that he didn't just fly, but he figured Dad liked to keep up appearances with his parents. That, and James had a feeling that after tonight he was temporarily grounded from using his powers — Dad was definitely petty enough to drive James instead of flying home.

Dad walked through the door and pocketed his car keys. James was sitting opposite his grandparents, who occupied the couch. Maddie looked up from her phone (which, he was sure she wasn't actually looking at — she was just finding a way to avoid speaking with James) and smiled. Though, her smile was shallow; she was concerned and worried more than anything.

"Hello, sweetie," Maddie greeted.

Danny's expression was firm, "Hi Mom, Dad. _James_."

James gulped. Dad wasn't stupid — he'd already figured out that James had snuck out and flown to FentonWorks to get Lilith's Switch… which she wasn't supposed to have in the first place. They both knew that much, but Dad didn't know how badly he'd messed up… Ancients, what a disappointment James was.

"Hi — hi Dad," James said. "I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry."

Danny took the other free seat beside the couch, between James and his grandparents. "I know," he replied.

James shook his head, "No, you really don't."

Maddie's lips thinned. "We need to talk," she said. Jack squeezed her hand and James sighed, this was it.

Danny raised a brow. He could sense that there was something _off_ about this. "... alright?" He rubbed the back of his neck and met his parents' gazes. "What about?"

"We caught a ghost earlier tonight," Jack started and Danny's eyes betrayed panic. James looked down, burning (metaphorical) holes into the carpet. His cheeks burned green, displaying his shame. "We took it to the lab and then it turned into James." Jack's admission was blunt, too blunt for Danny.

Danny's breath hitched in his throat. "What?" James observed his dad's aura chill the room by a few degrees, not enough that Maddie and Jack would notice… but it still wasn't good.

"He implied he's part ghost or something and he won't tell us anything else," Maddie explained. She leaned forward, "Did you know?"

There was a beat of silence. Danny shut his eyes and ran his hand over his face. He stayed like that for a moment, just holding his face in his hand, before he opened his eyes. "Yeah," he mumbled. "I know about it."

Jack was unperturbed, but Maddie exploded. "And _why _haven't you said anything?" Her entire body trembled with frustration, eyes flaring. Jack tried his best to calm her, but it was futile; she was locked onto Danny.

Danny gripped the bottom of his seat, finding it difficult to speak. "Because… he's like that because of me."

James's stomach dropped. He sounded so _guilty_. "Dad—"

"Shush," Danny dismissed him. "You're in enough trouble. It's been twenty years, I figured I'd have to fess up sometime. Didn't expect it to be tonight."

"Danny?" Jack asked. He was calmer than Maddie, but he was still pretty miffed.

James ignored his grandpa. "Dad, you don't have to—"

"I kind of have to, James," Danny interrupted. He took a moment to relax, unclenched his muscles and slumped into his seat. This admission… wasn't going to be easy, no matter how well his parents reacted. He looked above his parents, focusing on a painting hung above the couch. "James was born part ghost. He's had powers his entire life and so has Lilith. That's why we kept them homeschooled for a few years, so they wouldn't slip up in public."

Jack's jaw dropped and Maddie gaped.

"Son?" Jack tilted his head. "I don't understand, how was he...?"

Danny swallowed. Here was the big one..."I'm half-ghost."

They didn't respond. Jack and Maddie continued staring, observing their son as if he were speaking another language. There weren't any context clues to comprehend; he had spoken literally. There wasn't any metaphor about it — Danny _was _half-ghost. The only issue was getting them to _believe _that half-ghosts were real and that he wasn't just consumed by his ghost half…. James wanted to help him, to support him. But what could he do? _James_ was the problem here!

"Wow…" Danny looked at the ceiling. "That was weird to _finally_ confess. But I uh," he rubbed the back of his neck again — his nervous tick, "I've been half-ghost for twenty years. In high school, I was inside the portal when it first turned on. Gave me a nasty shock and I've had powers ever since. And I was going to tell you, but I was fourteen and I was _so_ scared — scared of everything, really.

"Scared of my powers, scared of myself, scared of your reaction…" Danny counted off on his fingers. "So, I kept it a secret. And when I was finally less scared, it just felt like it was too late to say anything — it'd be weird to say anything. So… I just never brought it up, and I'm sorry. I have a lot to apologize for and if anything, be mad at me — not at James, or Sam, or Jazz… I asked them to lie, for me."

When his grandparents didn't speak, James fidgeted with the material of his sleeve. It felt like a minute until someone spoke, but was probably only a quarter. "This isn't a prank?" Jack whispered. "You actually… all these years…"

Maddie shook her head. "No," she refused. "Danny you're _not_ a ghost."

"Well, not full ghost," he explained. "I can still breathe, heartbeat, brain activity—"

Maddie cut him off, "No, stop with this _bullshit_. I would've known if my son died! Twenty years," she laughed. "Twenty damn years!"

"I mean, Mads… it makes sense," Jack offered.

Danny sighed, "Thanks, Dad."

"The way he changed in high school… we were so worried, remember? And then he got better, brought his grades up, stopped cutting class..."

Danny nodded, "I started managing my powers better. And well, I also made a few allies. Because—"

"You're Phantom," Jack put it together. Danny's lip wavered, astounded that he'd guessed it on the first try. "James's ghost form… it looked a lot like Phantom. He said Phantom was his Dad, that means _you're_ Phantom."

"Ja_ck_," Maddie's voice cracked, "you're not actually believing this, are you? This is all insane! There's no way that I missed this… and did all that I did..."

"I don't blame you for any of that," Danny assured softly. "You didn't know that I'm Phantom, I did my best to hide it from you."

Maddie grit her teeth. "I still don't buy it. You're better than Phantom, you can't be him. You can't be a ghost, not _that _ghost."

"Do you want proof, then?" Danny raised a brow. "I know that I've done some… questionable things over the years. But back then, I was only a kid! Fourteen years old, struggling with all these powers I didn't know how to navigate, less clueless than James! He at least has me to learn from. But you have to admit, I haven't done anything _bad_ in years!"

Danny stood from his seat and ensured his parents had a good view of him. He kept his hands tucked beside his waist and head held high. "Goin' ghost," he muttered.

"What are you—" Maddie started.

A halo of light materialized around Danny's waist and split, replacing his day-clothes with glossy, black spandex. James observed his grandparents' reactions, ogling at Dad's transformation. Finally, the ring ascended above Danny's head, leaving tanned skin, green eyes, and amorphous white hair… _Phantom_.

"No," Maddie shook her head. "No."

Danny's aura recoiled, he was anxious and sullen.

Jack placed his hand on her shoulder. "Mads… it's still him. Still Danny—"

There were tears in Maddie's eyes. "He's a ghost! He can't be a ghost! You can't be a ghost!" She brushed off Jack's touch, stood from the couch, and pointed at him.

"Mom, if I had the choice I wouldn't be," Danny sagged, "but I'm _alright _with this—"

"Why didn't you tell us!?" She grabbed his shoulder. "When this all first happened! What kept you from coming to us? Why did you have to keep this for twenty fucking years!?" James had never heard his grandma swear, nor anyone swear that _viciously_. Mom cussed from time to time but she was never that intense….

Now, Danny's eyes were watering too. "I was just fourteen…" his voice was broken, crackling with its otherworldly echo. "I was scared of you _dissecting _me-"

Maddie stomped her foot. "Well, you're not fourteen now! I expected better from you, Daniel!"

"How was I supposed to tell you?" he went intangible and shook off her grip on his shoulder. He stepped back and changed again, back into human form. "Do you understand how terrifying it is to admit all this? Admit that I'm a ghost, a ghost you specifically hate! Admit that I've lied for pretty much most of my life! Admit that my children aren't human either—"

"That's not an excuse! You were never going to tell us!" she sobbed.

Danny's eyes flared vivid _green_. "Maybe I wasn't! Maybe I was afraid of something like _this_ happening!"

"Because you didn't tell us in the first place! We could've helped you! Fixed you—"

James's head swam. He couldn't _take _all this fighting anymore! Not when… it was all…

"Shut up! Shut up, sh_ut up_, _shUT U_**_P_**!" James detonated like a bomb. His voice rattled the room, sonic energy ripping through the air forcing Dad and Grandma the stop their brutal argument. A painting or two fell from the wall and several pieces of furniture threatened to tip over, but the living room was primarily unharmed.

They all stared at him, especially Dad. James had never done that before, even during training. "Can you… stop fighting over this?" his throat was raw and his eyes watered. "Stop yelling at Dad, this is _my _fault anyway…."

He didn't look up, didn't want to see their vindictive expressions. He just stared at his lap and cried, fighting off hiccups. Then, something touched his shoulder. James flinched, he hadn't heard anyone move so that meant… it must be Dad.

"James," he comforted. "This isn't your fault."

Oh, if only it were that simple. Dad knew how to assure him, absolve him of the blame. James wouldn't buy it, he _knew_ what happened — Dad was trying but James wouldn't listen.

"I — I flew over here," he choked. "Got caught. My fault. I broke all your rules…."

Dad shook his head, "No, James. I kept these secrets, this is my fault. Don't punish yourself for something you didn't do."

Someone coughed. _Grandpa_. "He's right, James," he added. "None of this is your fault."

Grandpa was trying; he wasn't as angry as Grandma but James wasn't a fool. Grandpa hadn't spoken at all since Dad transformed, he thought ghosts were _awful_ creatures… he was so disgusted that he couldn't speak. He had to be, right?

James shook his head. "But I'm the one who screwed up… if it wasn't for me you guys wouldn't know and you — you wouldn't hate Dad!"

Dad leaned forward and rubbed soothing circles into James's back. James hiccuped again; his entire body _throbbed_.

"That's not true," Grandma whispered. She moved from where she'd been standing and crouched beside Danny and James. "I don't _hate_ Danny. Or - or _Phantom_," she mumbled, distastefully.

Dad looked up. "You don't?"

"I'm angry. Furious," she admitted. "Because you didn't _tell_ me. You're my son, you're supposed to tell me these things! You've been like this for most of your life and… you didn't _trust_ me! I'm angry because I love you! Being a ghost… being Phantom… how could you just hide that for so long?"

Grandpa stood from the couch and joined Dad and Grandma on the floor. "I've never really cared for Phantom… but if you'd told me, I would've changed my mind. I don't like the _lies_, son. But I couldn't hate _you_."

There were still tears in Dad's eyes but they had changed… they were _grateful_. He leaned forward and hugged his parents. "That means… so much."

James tentatively joined the family hug. He still felt beyond awful, but maybe… maybe this wasn't as bad as he anticipated. If he could still hug his grandparents like this, then all wasn't lost.


End file.
